Every year people ask for theme ideas from my family’s annual Christmas gift exchange. We first mentioned this tradition on a podcast episode in 2016, and nearly a decade later we’ve updated and collected the full list here for easy reference. If your household is stuck or overwhelmed with holiday shopping, a theme can simplify … Read more

From the beginning—well before we knew we were expecting a baby girl—I pictured the nursery with pear-green walls and a soft aqua ceiling. Saying “green walls with a blue ceiling” can sometimes trigger images of chaotic design, so my husband needed to see the colors before he was convinced. Quick tip: most people respond best … Read more

Something big happened last week: my parents sold the house I grew up in. They’d been planning this for a while, so it wasn’t a total surprise. It also wasn’t as sad as it might have been because they’re selling so they can move to Richmond — currently they’re about two hours away in Northern … Read more

When we decided on a wood-planked ceiling for our sunroom, I pictured a quick trip to the big box store, grabbing beadboard, and installing it in an afternoon. Reality turned out to be more complicated: there are many ways to get the beadboard look. Traditional beadboard is made from individual tongue-and-groove planks—similar to hardwood flooring … Read more

What started as a simple swap—trading an old sectional for a new sofa—has completely reshaped our living room layout (and sparked more excitement in one of us than the other). This week we’re sharing how we’re rethinking the floor plan to make the space work harder, plus a clear pro-and-con breakdown of countertop materials based … Read more

Oh happy day! Abbey sent her lovely mood board after photos and we couldn’t wait to share them. Her space is a great reminder that you don’t have to repaint in a dramatic hue or spend a fortune replacing everything to achieve a noticeably upgraded look. A few new pieces, a slightly deeper wall tone, … Read more

Now that we’ve cleared out our backyard’s weed and liriope jungle, it’s time to turn attention to another neglected area: the basement. Let’s just talk about the basement for now. You may remember it as a shameful, debris-strewn space… …which became a bit more presentable after we rented a Bagster a few weeks ago and … Read more

Ah—push it. Push it real good. I hope that Salt-N-Pepa reference landed. Now on to a quick update from our guest bedroom: we recently gave it a mini makeover featuring LaDiff’s Wallflowers in crisp white. These 3D floral wall accents add subtle depth and a playful texture to the room without overwhelming the existing patterns … Read more

***This giveaway is now closed – see who won below!*** This giveaway reached its 10,000-entry cap a few hours before the scheduled close, so random.org had a big job picking a winner. They selected… Kelsey (who says “an Eames chair is the foundation to a good collection”). Congratulations on your new foundation piece! Who wants … Read more

We don’t always agree on home purchases, so this week we’re sharing practical strategies we’ve developed for bringing each other around—whether one of us is eager to buy something or the other is trying to hold back. We also picked up a surprising online-shopping trick that’s already saved us more than $1,500 on items for … Read more